I LOVE YOU

Keane has ripped into his United team-mates in a bid to drive them on - but insists it is done more out of love than hate. He added: "I can be a pain in the backside to play with. People think I'm always having a go at them, giving them stick - but I love all of them.

"I know they are not listening to me anyway. They're looking at me thinking 'OK, have your little tantrum and let's get on with it'.

"That just makes me more angry, especially if I think I have a valid point.

"But at the end of the match I've forgotten about all that stuff immediately.

"There's that much going on in a match, if I remembered every incident I'd be talking to nobody.

"I've had my fall-out with Ruud van Nistelrooy, for instance, but I respect him. He's a top player. I hope if he ever needs anything, he should just give me a shout and I'll help him out."

Keane's biggest fear is being dropped one day for not being good enough as younger players come through and big-name imports are added to the squad.

He said: "We have four players competing for two places in the centre of midfield. I have to accept sometimes that I am not in the team but I'll not accept being a squad number.

"I don't want to be sitting on that bench at Old Trafford on a cold Wednesday night."

Keane, 31, is demanding a bigger push from his team-mates as they chase more silverware this season - and admits standards did slip after United strolled to seven Premiership titles in 10 seasons.

He added: "When you buy new players, teams can slack off and that's what happened at United.

"The years when we won the title, it was down to how poor the other teams were.

"But Arsenal, Liverpool, Leeds and, to an extent, Chelsea have really come on.

"Now it's up to United to step up to another level."